A Rose's Thorns
by Lady RiRi
Summary: Even the most beautiful rose has its thorns. Sanosuke meets the perfect woman, but they're worlds apart. Not only is she rich, but she hates swordsman as well. When she discovers Kenshin's real identity, can Sanosuke keep both his friendship and her?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I wish I did, but I don't. I haven't seen the entire anime or manga, but I have a general idea…I hope. The ages should be about right. This story takes place maybe a year before Kenshin leaves. Just because it's not a Sano and Megumi fic doesn't mean you shouldn't read it! Bad use of double negatives by the way. I don't really know how big a yen is… Without further ado, A Rose's Thorns…

Sanosuke was hungry. Starving would have been a better word, but he wasn't exactly starving. He could have survived a few more minutes without food, but what was the point in that? Especially since Karou was treating this time. Well, she treated every time, but this time was special. It was her son's fifth birthday and there was nothing he could do to spoil her mood. That included gorging himself to the brink of death.

He never understood why it seemed to be the hungrier he was, the longer food took to come. He was positive everyone--Karou, Kenshin, Yahiko, Megumi, and himself--had sung Happy Birthday to Kenji a half hour ago, and there was still no sign of food. Just the tantalizing smells the Akebeko always offered. He was about to resign to his fate of dying as a bag of bones when the glorious, wonderful food arrived. The site alone almost brought to tears to his eyes, but just as the first delectable bite was about to enter his awaiting mouth, he saw her.

She was nothing short of an angel. He half expected birds to fly from somewhere and lift the tail of her pink and white flowered kimono off the floor and escort her to the table. Her raven-black hair was pulled back into a neat bun which brought out her gorgeous green eyes. Her shape, her walk, and he bet even her voice was perfect. He didn't even notice when the piece of meat had fallen from his fork and back on his plate, but Yahiko and Megumi were quick to point it out.

"You should stop drooling. She might see." Yahiko muttered.

"Don't bother. She just screams money." Megumi commented slightly amused.

For once Sanosuke had no smart retort. He was so focused on her appearance that he didn't notice the quality of her attire. When she moved her arms, he could catch glimpses of what looked like a solid gold and ruby bracelet on her wrist while a diamond barrette held her hair in place. Those two pieces of jewelry probably cost more than the entire Kamiya Dojo. If she was an angel, then she just reached the level of goddess. Then again, he was beginning to think he would have a better chance of a goddess talking to him than her.

With great effort he tore his gaze away from her to return to his food to find it…gone. He was heartbroken and to top things off hungry. Yahiko was going to pay. Sanosuke pushed Yahiko back and promptly began stealing back what was stolen from him. Kenshin tried to be the peacemaker, but Sanosuke was on the warpath. Not even Karou's threats could break this fight.

They fought down to the last bite. While the other's desperately tried to hide their heads, Sanosuke and Yahiko stabbed the last piece. Sanosuke knew he had the strength advantage, but Yahiko knew his one weakness…

"Miss Perfect's looking at you." Yahiko stated.

At the mere mention of the woman's new alias, the food was forgotten. Yahiko may have gotten the last bite, but she was looking at him! Actually half the restaurant was watching them, but her eyes weren't among them. In fact, she was completely focused on the menu. Well at least she wouldn't notice if he gawked at her awhile longer.

Tsubame was her waitress and Sanosuke was tempted to see Yahiko's reaction, but that would have involved breaking his gaze. When Tsubame walked away, the woman must have felt his eyes for she turned and looked directly at him. It was brief, but Sanosuke knew she smiled! She smiled at him! He might die a bag of bones, but he was going to be one happy sack.

"This one thinks she has company…" Kenshin commented as three men approached the woman.

No sooner than the words were out of Kenshin's mouth, Sanosuke was out of his seat. He made it just in time to catch one of the men grabbing the woman roughly by her arm. If he wasn't able to touch her, there was no way he would let scum like them touch her either. He tapped the man on his shoulder and greeted him with a fist to the face. The woman jerked back as the man fell back onto her table which upset Sanosuke even more. That guy could have at least fallen on the floor.

"Why you…" One of the men growled as he charged at Sanosuke.

It was always the amateurs that started trouble. Judging by the way they stumbled as they followed Sanosuke out of the restaurant he guessed they were drunken amateurs as well. He almost felt guilty as he beat them senseless, but they wouldn't remember in the morning anyway. Besides they too fell in an awkward spot. They were blocking the door way and the angel was trying to get out. She was smiling once again, but this time the smile was in gratitude. Not pity, but gratitude!

"Thank you Mr.?"

Just when he thought she couldn't get more perfect, she spoke with an accent. Made sense since there was no way someone like her could have been from around here. It took him a full minute to realize she was holding her hand out to him for assistance. He quickly helped her walk over the bodies when something else struck him.

"Its uh…My name is…San…" Sanosuke stuttered.

"He means his name is Sanosuke, and you are?" Kaoru asked as the rest of the Kenshingumi left the restaurant.

The woman opened her mouth to answer, but a black horse drawn carriage pulled to an abrupt stop beside her. Five men in matching black suits jumped out and surrounded her. They all carried swords at their waists and each looked ready to draw at any moment. She waved one hand and the two in front of her stepped aside, but stopped her when she tried to move forward. Either these men were doing a lousy job of kidnapping her, or they were bodyguards. Personally Sanosuke was hoping for the first choice. The woman had to fall for the guy who saved her life twice.

"Please forgive their rudeness. They become…nervous when I'm out of their site for more than a minute. I believe I have made us let for another appointment correct?" She asked a man standing to the side who merely nodded.

Sanosuke knew he was the roughest looking member of the Kenshingumi, but the guards didn't have to stare only at him. He was the one who saved her life after all when they were probably busy harassing the other women in town. Well at least he remembered why he hated anything representing the law. Most were biased old fools. The woman nodded to another guard as she stepped in the carriage who reached into his suit and pulled out a pouch that he tossed to Sanosuke.

"She believes 60,000 (about 500 American dollars) yen should cover your troubles."

With that gesture, the man stepped back into the carriage and was gone as suddenly as they came. Sanosuke stared after the carriage until it rounded the corner before the fact that a complete stranger just gave him 60,000 yen hit him. Gambling and sake was calling his name, or maybe it was just Tae.

"And about 12,000 (about 100 American dollars) of that is mine for the enormous tab you've raked up." Tae commented as she snatched the bag and pour out her portion.

"And the rest I'll take for your living expenses." Kaoru stated grabbing the bag before Sanosuke could take it back.

Great now he was broke…Again.

"Didn't you three have a job to do?" Megumi asked breaking Sanosuke from his despair.

"Oro? Yes we do, but we still have a few hours until the meeting time." Kenshin answered.

The rest of the day was spent with Sanosuke moping and Yahiko teasing him about not getting the woman's name. Kaoru and Kenshin spent his hard earned yen buying toys and sweets for Kenji while Megumi constantly pointed out things they "had" to have. Some friends they were. Kenji he didn't mind, but he was pretty sure Kenji didn't want a painting of some flowers. They had no sympathy for him at all.

"Isn't it time for us to go?" Yahiko asked as the sun began to lower.

"This one believes so. The police chief will be waiting." Kenshin answered patting Kenji on the head in farewell as he, Sanosuke, and Yahiko left.

A businessman was visiting Tokyo and wanted a discreet location and this area was about as discreet as Tokyo could be. To ensure nothing went wrong, Chief enlisted the Kenshingumi's help, specifically Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke. Sanosuke had better things to do than guard some rich man with nothing to do with his money, but the sum they were offered was hard to refuse. Really the businessman had nothing to do with his money. He even bought Kanryu Takeda's (Megumi's Opium's boss) old mansion and had remodeled just for this visit. The chief ran to greet them at the gate, but his face fell instantly.

"You could at least pretend to be happy to see us." Sanosuke muttered indignantly.

"Forgive me. I thought you were Mr. Williams." Chief explained with sigh.

"Williams? I've never heard that name before." Yahiko commented.

"He's an American businessman. He was supposed to be here an hour ago, but there has been no site of him…" The chief explained.

Chief had just motioned for them to enter when in Sanosuke's opinion, all heck broke lose. An explosion from a third floor room sent part of the mansion falling to the ground. Fire and glass seemed to be coming from every inch of the mansion. People fled from the mansion from every door way and even windows they could find.

"That was supposed to be Mr. Williams room! Secure the premises! Allow no one to leave until we figure out what's going on!" The chief shouted forgetting entirely about Sanosuke and friends.

"That won't be necessary Chief."

"Yes…We'll explain exactly what's going on."

All eyes turned to focus on two figures standing in a large tree in the corner of the yard. When exactly they arrived, Sanosuke didn't know, but he knew they had something to do with this havoc. One wore a short red kimono that barely reached the knee while the other wore a similar long blue kimono. They were women, but black masts covered their faces from the nose down. The woman in the red kimono carried two twin katana at her waist while the other carried a traditional samurai sword. How they intended to fight dressed like that Sanosuke didn't know.

"We condemn Mr. Williams and anyone in possession of a sword to death." The woman in the blue kimono stated simply.

"We ask that all of you who do not meet these requirements to please leave the area." The woman in red continued.

Kenshin's hand moved to his sword and Yahiko did the same. Sanosuke knew neither wanted to fight a woman, but what choice did they have? The women dropped down from the tree and had their weapons drawn in one swift move. One guard approached them slowly and once he was in range the woman in blue swiftly slit his throat. The move was so fast the man seemed to think about his death before he fell to the ground. She flicked the blood from her sword before speaking again.

"May your sins be forgiven in the next life…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Whoops forgot the disclaimer last time I think so here it is: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Just this story idea...

To say that the police were losing was an understatement. The two women cut down any who were unfortunate enough to come within range of their blades. The Chief had asked them not to interfere incase Mr. Williams was watching, but that was a bad move. Instead of showing off their strength, they looked incredibly weak.

"They won't win. Look carefully at the woman in red." Kenshin muttered as he drew his sword.

Sanosuke and Yahiko both carefully watched her and it hit them. The woman in red had not moved from the spot where she landed. She used her right foot as a pivot and blocked with one katana as the other katana attacked. The woman in blue stayed in the general area, but the difference in their skills was obvious. The Chief muttered something under his breath and nodded to the Kenshingumi.

"This one will stop the woman in red. Sanosuke please handle the one in blue. Yahiko stay here…" Kenshin ordered before walking forward.

The police stepped aside when Kenshin and Sanosuke approached. The woman in blue arched one of her eyebrows in what Sanosuke guessed was amusement, which irritated him. He didn't want to fight a woman, but there was no way she was going to underestimate him.

"You plan to defeat me with no weapon?" She asked.

"I'm pretty sure I won't need one." Sanosuke replied confidently.

The woman went back into her fighting stance, but the woman in red stopped her. She sheathed her katana and nodded toward Kenshin.

"I will fight the unarmed man. He carries no sword so there is no reason for him to die." The woman in red replied.

The woman in blue merely shrugged as she charged at Kenshin. Sanosuke wouldn't have minded watching their fight, but the woman in red was already upon him. He managed to move to the side so her fist only grazed his cheek, but he didn't see the knee coming. She wasn't powerful, but she was fast. Sanosuke was trying not to hurt her, but she was making things difficult. She continued her assault until he caught one of her fists.

"Switch."

The woman in red pushed off of Sanosuke and had her katana drawn in a second. She used both of her katana to stop Kenshin's next strike as the woman in blue backed away. The woman in blue was breathing heavily, but Kenshin and the woman in red barely seemed to be using any effort. For each strike Kenshin made, the woman either countered or dodged as Kenshin did the same. This woman was actually fighting at Kenshin's level! They remained even for at least five minutes before their swords locked in a standstill. They each jumped back and prepared to strike again, but the woman in blue placed her hand on the other's shoulder.

"Let's just consider this a stalemate…Give Mr. Williams this message: We'll be back." The woman in blue stated.

"Don't let them escape!" Chief shouted and the police charged.

The woman in red threw a small ball at the ground and smoke engulfed the area. The smoke burned Sanosuke's eyes and blurred his vision, but he tried his best to search the area. Movement on the wall top caught his eye and he could barely make out the outline of one of the women. She seemed to shake her head before leaping from the wall. She seemed sad, but Sanosuke guessed it was only wishful thinking. He bet under their masks, the women were cute. Ruthless killers, but still probably cute.

"Three dead, seventeen injured, and all under half an hour." The police chief muttered once the smoke cleared and a check could be conducted.

"Could have been worse. Mr. Williams could have been in his room." Yahiko replied earning a swift knock to back of his head by Sanosuke.

"He doesn't need you to tell him he screwed up." Sanosuke whispered once the chief had moved out of hearing range.

Horses' hooves could be heard approaching and all eyes turned once again to the gate. A dark blue horse-drawn carriage pulled into the gate. The police chief ran to speak with the driver who nodded and tapped twice on the front of the carriage. Two men stepped from the carriage and quickly closed the door as they held a whispered conversation with the chief. Sanosuke guessed they were talking about the attack since the two men kept glancing up, or better yet, down, at Mr. Williams former room.

One of the men opened the carriage door, but Mr. Williams was definitely not the person to come out. That is, unless Mr. Williams had suddenly become Ms Williams. The woman from the Akebeko carefully stepped from the carriage, and despite the seriousness of the situation, Sanosuke was not the only one staring. The chief motioned for the Kenshingumi to come over, and Yahiko nudged Sanosuke to get his attention.

"Mistress Sin Clare, allow me to introduce Himura Kenshin, Myojin Yahiko, and Sagara Sanosuke." The police chief stated pointing to each.

"Pleased, I'm sure. I believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you before Mr. Sagara." Sin Clare replied with an elegant bow.

She remembered him which meant he made a good impression. First a smile, then recognition, the next step had to be friendship!

"Mistress, we can't stay here any longer. The attackers may still be close by. If we leave now, we can have you to your summer home before sunrise." One of the guards stated.

If he could find her again…

"Oh dear, I couldn't possibly stay alone knowing my life is in danger…I must sound so selfish! I almost forgot you have more important matters to attend to at the moment. You have my apology and condolences." Sin Clare replied.

Hang on…Stay alone? Exactly who did she stay with?

"Perhaps she should stay at the dojo. This one believes she will be safe there." Kenshin suggested finally sheathing his sword.

If Sin Clare said yes, Sanosuke would never complain about Kenshin's luck with gambling again.

"Hang on, wasn't your carriage black at the Akebeko?" Yahiko asked.

Darn that kid…

"Why yes it was, but the wheel came undone. We had to make arrangements for another carriage to be sent." Sin Clare responded simply.

"Oro? A whole new carriage for a broken wheel?"

"Well of course. A new wheel wouldn't quite match the old carriage. Besides Father brought that carriage a whole month ago."

Sanosuke would never understand the troubles of the rich…But more importantly, who did she stay with?

"And the guards?" Kenshin asked curiously.

"They came with the carriage. Whenever we purchase a new carriage, we need new guards to go with it." She replied as if that logic made any sense what so ever.

What was the relationship between her and Mr. Williams? Sanosuke felt as if he would go crazy not knowing.

"Are you sure your husband wouldn't mind you staying at the dojo?" Sanosuke asked, and surprisingly all eyes turned to him.

He hadn't been that quiet had he? Sin Clare covered her mouth as a soft giggle escaped her lips, and if suddenly speaking after long silences made her laugh, then he better practice his silent routine.

"I am not married to Mr. Williams, if that is your real question. Mr. Williams is my father."

If only his luck was this good when he gambled…


End file.
